


A Pizza My Heart

by AllieBC



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pizza Place, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 21:16:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16840582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllieBC/pseuds/AllieBC
Summary: Pizza Place AU: Steve Rogers, college student, is quickly enraptured by the unique and delicious tastes invented by the brilliant pizza restaurant owner, Tony Stark.





	1. Chapter 1

Living in a college town was both a blessing and a curse. For students who couldn’t afford living in the dorms, there were apartments for reasonable rent within walking distance of the school. Most of the eateries around campus were fast food chains, which was easy on the pocketbook but hell on the stomach. Anything that didn’t sport a dollar menu charged way too much per plate for students who earned little more than minimum wage. For a man utterly in love with food, the situation was a travesty.

Steve Rogers never seemed to have grown out of the growing boy phase. When he ate he ate a lot but that didn’t mean his tastes weren’t discerning. The occasional hamburger was great but he preferred something homemade over the grease sponges fried up down at the local burger joint. Delivery pizzas tasted like little more than cheese and butter, even when topped with peppers, mushrooms or sausage. The individual ingredients all mushed together until Steve could only barely taste the slightest hint of anything besides processed mozzarella and dough. His friends often told him that he was too picky but he couldn’t find anything wrong with that accusation. Life was too short for bad food.

The last class of the evening let out just a little before five and Steve was starving. Two options wrestled in his head over the fate of his dinner. Going back to his apartment would be cheaper and he knew the food would be better but there were at least three places on the way home where he could grab something quick and he had a couple of bucks to spare. Whatever choice he had planned to make was rendered null when his best friend and roommate, one Bucky Barnes by name, caught up to him and steered him away from their street.

“Bet you’re hungry,” The brunet grinned as he dragged Steve along. “Bet you’d kill for something good right about now, huh? There’s a new place that just opened a couple of blocks from here and I think you’re gonna like it.”

Given that Bucky knew how discriminating Steve was about what sort of food he liked and didn’t like, Steve was a little suspicious and a little surprised. Even more surprising was that he hadn’t heard anything about a new restaurant being built and now it was finished and apparently taking customers. By the excitement in Bucky’s gait, he presumed the eatery was neither fast food nor too expensive by their standards. It did pique his curiosity.

The small establishment was immediately recognizable upon approach. What had once been an old drug store was now a cozy street corner café. Large sloping letters done in white back lit plastic edged in shiny chrome secured to one brick exterior wall proclaimed the name of the restaurant simply as Tony’s.

“What, another pizza place?” Steve quirked an eyebrow. Bucky smirked and wordlessly pushed the blond through the front door.

Steve felt perhaps he judged the place too quickly upon entering inside. There was the distinctive smell of oregano that seemed to hang around most pizza shops but there were other interesting scents mingling in the air as well. He could hear something sizzling on a grill, that was curious sound for a pizzeria.

Instead of small tables dotted around the floor, there were booths lined up against both far walls, leaving plenty of walking space between them. It appeared as if there were only enough tables for ten parties and only two booths currently stood empty. Bucky quickly led Steve over to one and sat him down.

“Be right back, gonna let one of the waiters know we’re here,” He gushed before striding over to the counter manned by a cashier. Steve sighed and sat back against the plush booth seat and let his eyes wander.

The decor was a little unusual for what appeared to be a small, privately owned restaurant. Neon blue blueprints exhibiting typical pizza builds hung on most of the walls. Steve smiled at the large graph of a New York style pie versus a Chicago deep dish side by side. The lights hanging over each booth were so strange and modern; gold pendant lamps ringed likewise in neon blue. Mounted tablets hung on the walls over every table to display the menu, allowing customers to flick through digital pages and construct anything they liked based on the available ingredients. Steve was impressed with the ‘du jour’ category. The usual staples of any pizza joint were on the regular menu but this smaller section showcased changing daily ingredients, all proclaimed to be fresh and locally grown. Today’s specials included a beet sauce instead of tomato, grilled artichoke, pickled fennelheads and ramps.

As he waited for Bucky to return, Steve swiped through the menu to find something he might like. He decided on a large pie with the beet sauce, he was curious about it, and covered it in feta, Italian sausage, ramps and black olives. He knew Bucky’s tastes bordered on cavity inducing so he picked a large mozzarella with honey baked ham, tomato sauce and grilled pineapple for him. A pitcher of ice water rounded out the meal and Steve was shocked to find the bill only came to fifteen bucks. He declined to pay with his debit card, he had a twenty in his pocket and felt more comfortable footing the bill with that.

Minutes later a tall red headed woman bearing a tray holding a pitcher and two tall glasses approached the table with Bucky in tow. Bucky slid onto his seat and took a sip of water the moment his drink was laid in front of him. Steve thanked the waitress for his beverage and offered her a sweet smile.

“Welcome to Tony’s, boys,” She gave them both a short nod. “My name’s Pepper. Your food’ll be ready in twenty minutes, tops. If you need anything while you wait just press the call button on your pad and I’ll be back in a flash.” Since neither man had any questions or requests, Pepper tucked her tray under her arm and walked off to check on the patrons sitting at a different table.

In less time than Steve had expected, Pepper returned with a pair of plates and both pizzas. Steve was immediately hit with the tantalizing smell of fresh, hot vegetables and simmering meats. The scent of cheese was almost delicate and took a backseat to sweet onion and tomato. He noted the thinner crust which was quite different compared to that from most of the big name delivery places around town. Hand tossed on those menus often meant a little on the thick and doughy side, this was real hand tossed. Thin, crispy and let the toppings do the talking.

“When did this place open and why wasn’t I told about it sooner?” Steve wondered aloud as he plucked a slice from his pie. Bucky smirked and snatched up a stray chunk of pineapple that had fallen from his own slice.

“It’s been around for a few weeks now,” He explained as he chewed. “I actually hadn’t come in until a few days ago, Nat dragged me in. I thought this was just another pizza joint. Oh, man, was I wrong.”

Usually the two men would eat in companionable silence. Bucky had anticipated an alteration to their routine when he brought Steve here, he knew the blond wouldn’t be able to resist critiquing the new experience. It was obvious that his friend was incapable of finding something he didn’t like.

Steve couldn’t help gushing about the food. The beet sauce was an interesting veer from the norm, it was just as good as the traditional tomato but he felt it complimented the ramps and olives better. The crust was light and seasoned with garlic, crushed bay leaves and just a kiss of butter. His excitement drew attention from the cashier’s counter and soon a short brunet man came to their table.

“I heard someone here really likes the pizza?” The man grinned. Steve took in the appearance of the stranger with a slow, grazing gaze. He harbored some misgivings about kitchen staff and facial hair but this guy’s was cut short and impeccably trimmed. He wore his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and little puffs of flour dusted white across his cheek, his shirt and his apron. This had to be one of the chefs.

“It’s amazing,” Steve quickly replied. “I’ve never had anything in this town nearly as flavorful or fresh. Tell your team back there that they’re doing an incredible job!” The brunet tilted his head.

“I’m the only one back in the kitchen, but I’ll let Pep, Happy and Bruce know you appreciate them, too,” He chuckled. Steve blinked in surprise. There couldn’t be just one chef handling all of these customers at once, that would be completely implausible. The stress would drive anyone out of their mind.

The brown eyed chef patted his apron and turned his attention back towards the kitchen. Whether he was the lone cook or not, Steve felt a little guilty for taking up the man’s time while there were patrons waiting on their meals. The man flashed one more grin before turning to head back.

“Well, it was nice to meet you. I’m Tony, by the way. Glad to hear you liked everything, come back anytime,” He gave a short wave and darted off.

For the second time in only so many minutes Steve found himself sitting in shock. Not only was he supposed to believe that there was just one chef manning the ovens but that one was also the owner? Could it be a simple coincidence that the establishment shared its name with the chef?

“Was that…?” Steve’s question trailed off. Bucky nodded and finished off his last slice of pizza.

“The owner,” He paused to take a large drink of water. “Tony Stark. The guy’s a real Energizer bunny. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sit still for longer than a few seconds at a time.” Steve picked up his glass of water and took a small, thoughtful sip. A warm feeling of pleasant realization settled in his stomach as he noted that he found Tony and his restaurant had left a positive impression on him. Bucky smirked at his friend before leaning forward to flick one of the blond’s earlobes.

“Told ya you’d like it.”


	2. Chapter 2

Steve continued to think about dinner long after returning to his apartment and settling in for the night. The small pizzeria offered a much needed injection of good food at good prices in town. More than that, Tony was someone Steve found himself admiring. The drive the man had was infectious and motivating. The energy of the short chef brought a smile to Steve’s face and he’d left the restaurant the other day feeling a sort of giddiness and a strong need to return.

As soon as his afternoon class was let out the next day, Steve made his way back to Tony’s. Again most of the tables had been claimed by the time he arrived but he found one closer to the counter in the back and quickly grabbed it. He took a moment to look over the daily offerings, curious about the grilled zucchini and fried pickles, and entered his lunch choice onto the wall pad. His pie and pitcher of water came out to just eight bucks.

“Welcome back,” Pepper smiled at Steve as she approached his booth. Steve grinned in return.

“It’s gonna be hard to stay away,” He replied. “Are there really new ingredients every day?” Pepper nodded and motioned towards the kitchen with a jerk of her chin.

“Tony gets bored with the same old boring ingredients so he likes to experiment. Sometimes his ideas don’t work out, though. No one liked his fried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta,” She stuck her tongue out. Apparently she didn’t care much for the idea, either. Steve laughed as she walked off to serve another table.

About fifteen minutes or so later Pepper carried in Steve’s pizza and water, leaving the plate in the kitchen as per his request. He took his time savoring his lunch and watched as many customers came and went. After a little while, when the crowd began to thin, Tony left the kitchen to grab a cup of water from the drink station for the waiters. His eyes happened to wander over to Steve’s booth and lit up in recognition.

“When I said come back I didn’t think you’d take that to mean the very next day,” He grinned as he walked over. Steve chuckled and nodded to the seat opposite him in invitation. Tony shrugged and sat.

“I wasn’t kidding when I’d said I’d never had anything as amazing as your pizza in this town,” Steve picked up another slice and took a bite. Tony looked proud. “I have to admit, you make me incredibly curious. I mean, how do you come up with all of these combinations? How are you getting all of these toppings fresh? There aren’t any farms around here.”

Tony leaned back against the back of his seat and sipped his water. He turned his attention to the restaurant and, satisfied that all of the present parties had their food, visibly relaxed.

“A couple of miles outside of town I’ve got a friend that grows a lot of stuff,” He explained. “But I’ve got a garden of my own for all of my herbs and smaller vegetables. I generally only offer in season produce, or I try to. I will admit some of the pickled or preserved stuff I bottled a month or so ago.”

One of the toppings Steve had ordered this time around had been pickled banana peppers, which offered a nice crunch and sweet spice to the salty sweet Havarti cheese. All of the effort Tony put into his food filled Steve with a sense of awe. The energetic brunet used home grown greens, varied and unusual ingredients and pickled his own peppers. It was obvious his pizzeria meant the world to him and that love came through his food like passion found on an artist’s canvas.

“How do you have the time for all of this?” Steve asked.

“The pizzeria is only open from noon to seven, so I don’t spend my whole day here. Tending my garden doesn’t take any time at all and I preserve stuff at home when I get bored,” Tony said as he finished his cup of water. “I’ve got hobbies, too. I’m a big fan of music, I spend my weekends fiddling with a classic car I’m trying to bring back to life, and I like long walks on the beach.” He winked. Steve swallowed the bite of pizza he nearly choked on. The last thing he’d expected was for the brilliant cook to flirt with him. Was his burgeoning fascination with the other man that obvious? Tony laughed and stood from his seat.

“Sorry, honey, I couldn’t help that,” He tossed his water cup into a nearby trashcan. “You’re cute and I love a man who loves food.”

“It’s a bit soon to be confessing your love, isn’t it?” Steve returned after clearing his throat. Tony smirked. “You’re off at seven, right? How would you feel about a movie?”

Tony’s smirk slowly turned into an expression of consideration. Steve bit back a grimace at his forward behavior when his brain finally caught up to his mouth. Tony laughed, apparently not offended by Steve’s bravado.

“I make it a habit not to date guys without names,” He hummed. Steve flushed.

“Er, don’t really blame you,” The blond replied in a sheepish tone. “I’m sorry, my name’s Steve. Steve Rogers.”

With a short nod, Tony pulled a small notepad out of his apron pocket and scribbled something down with a pen that had been clipped to its cardboard back. He handed the slip of paper to Steve. There was both a phone number and an address scrawled in small, tilted lettering.

“I also make it a habit not to go out anywhere directly after work. I’m all sweaty by the end of the day and I reek of pizza,” Tony replaced the notepad back into his pocket. “Pick me up at seven thirty at that address. Do you have a car?”

“Sorry,” Steve shook his head. “Can’t afford one yet. I do have a motorcycle, though. That okay?” Tony’s head snapped to the door when he heard it open, signaling new customers and the necessity for him to get back to work. He gave Steve a thumbs up before making his way back to the kitchen to prep for the next order.

A feeling of nervous excitement crackled up Steve’s spine to push a sudden, huffed laugh from him. He’d come back to sample more of Tony’s amazing food and somehow miraculously managed to pick up a date as well, with the man he was growing to admire no less. His eyes flicked to the counter as he watched Tony head back and spotted the clock above the register, widening when he saw the time. He bolted from his seat and snatched his last slice of pizza before leaving a tip for Pepper and running out of the restaurant. He was going to be late for his next class but it was worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

The last class of the day let out at five, giving Steve plenty of time to get back to his apartment, do some homework, grab a snack and get ready to pick Tony up. Bucky watched his friend blunder about with some amusement. He couldn’t help but laugh when Steve informed him of his date for later that evening.

“Why am I not surprised that you asked out the guy who was responsible for your foodgasm yesterday?” The brunet joked. Steve rolled his eyes in reply. He dropped his book bag when they entered their apartment and headed straight for the kitchen to grab hummus and crackers.

What little homework he had was completed just as he finished his snack. He jumped in the shower for a quick wash and changed into clean jeans and a light t-shirt. There was still a good amount of time left before he had to head out so he flicked through his phone for movie choices and times. An action flick was playing at seven forty-five and some science fiction thing was on at eight. Steve felt it’d be polite to let Tony choose which they were to see.

To make sure he would make it to Tony’s place on time, Steve checked the address on a map of the city. Tony’s address appeared to be one for a house, one in a nearby suburb. He told Bucky he would be back later before he dialed the number Tony gave him as he headed out towards his bike. Calling Tony to double check that he was up for going out felt like the proper thing to do, especially since Steve hadn’t given the other man his own number in case he had any questions or concerns. The phone rang almost four times before someone picked up.

“Hello?” Tony sounded a little out of breath. Steve raised an eyebrow.

“Hi, it’s Steve,” He responded. “Just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight. You okay?” A huff over the line made him wonder just what Tony had been up to.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m still up for it. I ran a little late closing and I’ve got to get in the shower, I stink of garlic,” A chuckle soothed Steve’s worry. “I just need ten minutes to scrub down and dress up. I trust you know how to get to me?”

“Yep. See you soon,” Steve nodded to himself. Tony gushed a goodbye and hung up. Steve tucked his phone into his leather jacket and mounted his bike. The trip to Tony’s house would only take about ten minutes so the little chef should be ready by the time Steve got there, or so the blond assumed. Either way, it looked like the action movie was out, they’d never make it to the theater in time.

Cool, crisp streaks of breezes sent anxious goosepimples down Steve’s arms under his coat as he drove towards Tony’s home. The sky was slowly draining its light blues into a pink and orange banner of bursting sunset. The further Steve got into the suburb the more trees he saw. He passed rows of harshly shorn front lawns of verdant grass with not a single white puffball weed poking out of the expanses of green. The monotony of the cut and pasted little houses on immaculate lawns bored him. Homes in these sorts of neighborhoods had no individuality and any that exhibited any sort of flair at all ran the risk of being fined for making the whole block look bad.

A small smile quirked at Steve’s lips as he came to a stop in front of Tony’s place. He was most definitely one of the kind of homeowners that willingly risked fines for his house was anything but average. The build was the same as every other building on the block but the exterior paint was a rich, vibrant red. A large plate glass window faced the street and looked into a comfortable living room with a wide white leather couch and a flat screen, wall mounted television. The front door had no handle, Steve was curious as to how Tony opened it.

The truly remarkable feature of Tony’s residence wasn’t the house itself but the strange lawn in front. Instead of a flat plane of cut grass there were multiple flower beds, all bricked off with decorative dividers. Steve could easily distinguish rosemary plants as well as red and green peppers, basil, thyme, strawberries, and fennel yet there were even more vines and sprigs he wasn’t familiar with.

He must have stood outside appreciating Tony’s garden for longer than he’d thought for when Tony walked out to stand by him he jumped a little at the surprise. Tony laughed at having startled Steve.

“Like what you see, honey?” He asked. Steve turned his attention wholly on Tony with a smile.

“A little more every time I see it,” He replied. Tony grinned and looped his arm with Steve’s then walked with him over to the parked motorcycle. Steve fixed his helmet on Tony’s head before he straddled his bike. Tony hopped on behind him and held on tight.

They reached the theater just as eight hit and were lucky enough to snag two tickets for their show. They missed a few previews when they grabbed popcorn and sodas at the concession stand. Most of the theater was already filled but they found a pair of seats a few rows up from the middle and slid in, apologizing to those they had to pass on their way.

Admittedly, the movie was pretty good but Steve was far more interested in the little brunet that kept cuddling up against his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against the top of Tony’s head and smiled to himself. Faint traces of garlic still clung to Tony’s hair but Steve didn’t mind. It was a scent he was quickly learning to associate with the chef.

As the credits began to roll, Steve realized that he was getting hungry. He stood and stretched and reached out a hand to help Tony to his feet. They tossed their empty popcorn buckets in the trash on their way out of the cinema.

“Are you hungry? We could grab some dinner,” Steve offered as they approached his bike. Tony thought a moment before he shook his head.

“I just sat for almost two hours, I need to do some moving,” He said as he fastened Steve’s bike helmet on. “Let’s head back to my place and I’ll make something.” Steve had assumed after a full seven hours of doing nothing but that Tony wouldn’t be interested in getting back into a kitchen. If he was offering, though, Steve wasn’t going to refuse.

Stop lights and street lights twinkled like glittering Christmas bulbs as Steve’s bike cut through the sparse evening traffic. Chill evening air slicked his hair back and pricked water at the corner of his eyes, he’d have to consider getting a second helmet if he planned on taking Tony out again like this. The warmth of Tony’s arms encircling him from behind made him want to.

After parking in the driveway, Tony led Steve up a little walkway to the front door. There was a small numerical keypad to the right of the door which Tony used to input a four digit code. The door slid out of the way to permit the pair access. Steve turned and watched it slide back into position once they were inside.

“Don’t see that everyday,” He murmured. Tony chuckled and placed Steve’s helmet on his hall table.

“Not yet, anyway,” Tony replied. “Still applying for the patent. There are still some bugs in the design, I’m ironing them out.”

Steve followed Tony through the living room towards his kitchen. A button pressed on the counter top closed the large living room window blinds to allow the two of them some privacy. Tony then turned to his refrigerator to pull out whatever he thought he could make a meal with. Steve slipped off his leather coat and tossed it onto a chair before walking over to offer any help Tony could use.

Without questioning his assistance, Tony handed Steve a potato peeler and pointed him to a small bowl of golden potatoes. The blond grinned and got to work. Tony flicked on his stove top and placed a skillet on a burner. As the pan heated up he chopped up some chorizo and small green peppers.

“So you make doors as well as pizzas?” Steve teased and placed a freshly peeled potato off to one side. Tony chuckled.

“I make a lot of stuff,” He explained as he poured some oil into the skillet. “I went to college for an engineering degree but I was born to cook. I’m too selfish to pick just one profession.”

While the sausage and potatoes simmered together, and green peppers and onions reduced down to sweetness, Steve learned that Tony had graduated college just the year before. Tony knew that he had wanted to make delicious food yet he also knew he wanted to further his interest in mechanics. In opening Tony’s, he was able to do both by creating inventive pizzas and unique tech like the ordering tablets for each booth. Again, the drive and motivation Tony held impressed Steve.

They continued to talk and ask questions about each other as they ate their late dinner. Tony found out that Steve was in his last year of college, that he was studying art history with a minor in sociology. He’d studied a few languages; French, German and Italian. Steve went on to explain his own love for food and that he wished to travel the world someday and have the opportunity to seek out new flavors. Tony’s eyes brightened.

“I’ve been wanting to do that myself,” He returned. “There are some amazing dishes I’ve been dying to try but they’re in Japan and Korea. You know they use sakura as flavoring? Do you know what that is? Cherry blossoms. I’ve heard of using flowers in cooking but I’ve never tasted cherry blossoms.”

Soon both Steve and Tony were fighting off yawns. Steve pulled his phone out and boggled over the time; it was nearly two in the morning. He was going to be late for his morning class, he just knew it, but he didn’t regret a minute he’d spent with his date.

Tony walked Steve to his door and clicked a large button on the inside panel to open it. Before Steve could pull on his coat and helmet, Tony leaned forward and brushed a light kiss to his slightly parted lips. Steve blinked, surprised, but couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face.

“Can we do this again?” Steve asked as he stood outside on the porch. Tony nodded.

“Sure, but let’s wait until the weekend before we give it another go. That’ll give us enough time to think up what to do for the second date,” He smiled. “I’m thinking we try something a little more active for next time. Dancing?” Steve darted forward and pressed a firmer kiss than the former to Tony’s lips.

“Dancing. Saturday, six.” He pecked one more kiss and turned, put on his helmet and headed down the driveway to mount his bike. Tony watched Steve speed off before he went back inside, certain that tonight he’d be able to get a good night’s sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

“I don’t think you’re asking the important question, Steve,” Bucky sighed over breakfast, mere minutes before they had to leave their apartment for morning classes. Steve pursed his lips and glared over the rim of his cereal bowl. He knew where Bucky was leading the conversation, he’d already tried dragging him down this road before.

“You don’t just meet someone one day, date them the next and then suddenly have a steady relationship. That’s not how it works,” The brunet explained. “You’re on, what, date eight? Nine? All I know is that you’re out three or four nights a week doing who knows what with the pizza guy.”

At some point a school boy’s crush had matured into an adult’s genuine interest over the next few dates. It hadn’t seemed like he and Tony had been spending that much time together but perhaps that was because Steve found himself wanting to be with the other man even more. Tony was brilliant, funny and most off all pushed Steve to be his best. If motivation eluded him, Tony found some way to keep Steve going. Sometimes that meant a little bribery but Steve wasn’t going to complain about a rewards system that involved made to order mouth watering masterpieces. On days when school knocked him down, Tony was there to pull him back up with words of encouragement. Perhaps a large chunk of his time had been given over to Tony but Steve felt justified in doing so. The other man made him happy.

“I just want to know what’s in it for him,” Bucky shrugged and stood to put his dish in the sink. “Seems a bit weird for a busy guy like him to jump into a relationship with some stranger obsessed with his pizza.”

Steve finished his cereal, stood and rinsed out his bowl before putting it in the dishwasher. For the last few days Bucky had followed him around everywhere, asking personal questions about what he was doing with Tony and where he thought the two of them were going. He refused to accept the possibility that there could be something meaningful between his best friend and the cook. Steve had attempted to ignore his friend’s behavior, it was bordering on childish. Intending to step around Bucky, he was instead stopped short by him. The front door was blocked. If they didn’t leave in the next minute they would be late but Bucky wasn’t budging.

“You got something to say? Then spit it out and quit acting like a kid,” Steve was quickly losing his patience.

“Okay,” Bucky grunted. “We’ve got four months until graduation and I know for a fact that you had plans to leave this town the moment you had your diploma in hand. I just want to know if you’re gonna flush your dream down the pipes for this fling, or whatever it is.”

Steve immediately knew which dream Bucky was talking about, he’d told Tony about it on their first date. Since freshman year he’d been putting money away in a small savings account for a tour of Europe. One short year to experience the cultures and cuisine from countries lauded for their rich history and unique tastes. It had been something he’d been waiting to do for four years, he understood Bucky’s argument. Now he could see the problem.

Was it fair to Tony to start something only to end it so soon? Truth be told, Steve had allowed his plans for after college to move to the back burner after he met Tony. His priorities had shifted. Being with the little cook had become more important to him than traveling the world alone.

It would be ridiculous to ask Tony to drop everything and go with him. He had no right to ask. Tony had a restaurant to run, he was the only chef and there was no reason to believe he even felt as much for Steve as Steve had grown to feel for him. The prospect of going alone now dropped a cold stone in Steve’s gut.

He had a date with Tony after his last evening class, he’d bring his concerns up to him then. As it was, he and Bucky were running late. There was little chance Steve would be able to concentrate on morning math now.

~~~

Unlike all of their dates before, this one truly gave Steve butterflies. He’d mentally practiced for hours what he would say but nothing he could think of sounded right to him. He wanted to convey to Tony how important he’d become to him while explaining that he would regret it for the rest of his life if he’d let this opportunity slip him by.

Tony could tell there was something wrong the moment Steve arrived at his house. They’d planned on going out to a stand up comedy show in town but Tony refused to let them leave with Steve so obviously upset. He sat the brooding blond on his couch and straddled him to make sure he wouldn’t move. Steve knew it was a ploy to get him to smile, it earned Tony a small smirk.

“I think we’re beyond the keeping secrets stage, honey,” Tony stated. “Something’s bothering you and you brought it into my house. It’s not gonna get any better stewing in that brain of yours.”

Though Steve knew Tony was right he still hesitated in expressing his worries. The longer he remained silent, however, the worse his fretting became. There was no use in delaying the inevitable, he had to tell.

“I’ve only got a few months of school left,” He began with a frown. “And before I met you I had this plan to leave the states for a year. Travel abroad in Europe.” Tony nodded.

“Yeah, I remember. You’ve mentioned it a few times, you talked about it last week when we ordered Chinese and stayed in,” He shrugged. “What about it?”

Steve wasn’t sure how to respond to Tony’s nonchalant attitude. Maybe the other man really didn’t care that much, maybe he wasn’t as invested in their relationship as Steve was. The thought wasn’t helping Steve feel any better. Tony tilted his head in confusion.

“Steve? What about it?” He asked his question again. Steve sighed and looked down at Tony’s thighs.

“I’m leaving in four months.” When Tony didn’t respond, Steve returned his gaze back to Tony’s face. He found bewilderment in his lover’s eyes. He tilted his head, puzzled.

“When you said someday, honey, I thought you meant some day pretty far in the future. A couple of years, at least,” Tony murmured. “I kinda hoped that we would be able to go together. I guess that was pretty presumptuous of me.” The sadness in Tony’s voice was heartrendingly evident.

Perhaps it was terrible of him but Steve felt a glimmer of pleasure knowing Tony had wanted to be with him. The brunet had entertained thoughts of going with Steve, staying with him for years so the two could traverse the globe together. That made Steve happy but the reality of the situation dampened his brightening mood. Taking Tony with him still seemed impossible.

“I want you to come with,” Steve leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against Tony’s scratchy jaw. “I want to take you to Italy, I want to know that their food can’t compare to yours.” Tony scoffed.

Steve ran his fingers up Tony’s thighs to wrap his hands around the other man’s hips. They loitered only a moment before sliding up, slipping under the brunet’s shirt and rucking it up to show off a peek of his belly. He splayed his long digits over the warm span of Tony’s back to pull him closer. He wrapped his arms around him and kissed up his throat.

“I bet no mind in France could rival your creativity,” Steve continued as he kissed his way up to Tony’s earlobe. “No cafe in Greece could serve anything half as fresh as any of your dishes.”

“You’re a shameless flatterer,” Tony smirked. “Go on, I like it.”

Humming an affirmative, Steve nudged Tony’s arms up and pulled his shirt up over his head. Tony’s chest now bared, Steve diverted his kisses downward to lick at the collarbone while his fingers found their way to Tony’s stomach. The shorter man was far from out of shape but his belly had a softness that Steve loved to touch.

The sensuality of the situation very nearly distracted Steve from the point he had initially tried to make. The question he needed to ask was what did Tony want. Knowing now that Tony had thought that they would stay together for the long haul told Steve that his lover had been just as serious as he was about them. If he didn’t think it was so greedy he would ask Tony to run away with him but that was a rash thought. Steve was a planner and he had a plan, he just wasn’t sure he liked it anymore.

“You stopped kissing,” Tony nipped at the tip of Steve’s ear. Steve pulled back and frowned.

“Tony,” He shook his head. He knew he had to make a choice, damn the consequences of its foolhardiness. Even if it was the wrong choice, it felt right to him. “This is entirely selfish of me, I know it, but I’m going to regret not asking if there’s even the slightest chance you’ll say yes. Is there any way you might be able to come with me? I mean, I know you do all the cooking at your pizzeria yourself and you’ve got your own life–”

Steve’s speech was stopped abruptly when Tony rushed forward to push a kiss against his mouth. Steve blinked wide blue eyes, surprise keeping him from moving at all. Tony pulled back with a grin.

“Just ‘cause I’ve been doing it all myself doesn’t mean I don’t have someone to take over if I need the help,” He breathed. “Bruce is the secondary cook. He takes the helm on days when I’m sick, he’s perfectly capable of handling the kitchen on his own.”

It took a minute for Tony’s words to process in Steve’s mind. When they did, however, Steve couldn’t contain his loud, relieved laugh. He squeezed Tony tight, finding himself incapable of expressing his delight in any other way.

“Could he? Could he handle a whole year?” Steve’s question was muffled against Tony’s shoulder. Tony wiggled out of Steve’s grip to nod.

“I’ll have to ask him, baby. My pace in the kitchen isn’t easy to match so I might need to look into hiring someone to give him a hand,” He replied. “I’ll ask if he’ll mind manning the ovens for the next year tomorrow at work. If he’s cool with it, I’ll have four months to find him an assistant.”

Since Bucky had brought up the issue that morning, Steve’s mind had been troubled and cloudy. Though his and Tony’s relationship was still new, barely over a month old, they both wanted to nurture it and see where it took them. It had started so quickly, like a spark in dry brush, to burn hot and engulf them in each other. The parched, boring world had burst into a dozen brilliant colors and he didn’t want it to dull.

Now there was hope, now there was definitive mutual desire shared openly between them. Now Steve’s mind fell back into cool and comforting ease. The weight of Tony on his lap felt right, the hot breath from between his lover’s lips felt right and his decision to whisk Tony away on a whirlwind adventure to eat their way across the world felt right. Maybe there was enough money stored away in his travel fund for a trip to Japan, just so he could experience a sakura flavored kiss.

~~~~~~~~~

The pale pink bun of McDonald’s Sakura Teritama burger looked a bit iffy to Steve but Tony was excited to try it. There weren’t a whole lot of hamburgers in America that served egg on them, least of all in fast food, so that was new as well. Pink tinted mayonnaise seemed to be the main part of the burger than held the cherry blossom flavor and it was certainly different.

“Think I could get away with putting this stuff on a pizza?” Tony asked between bites. Steve thought a moment before shaking his head.

“I think it’s an acquired taste and I’m not sure a lot of Americans will acquire it,” He replied with a chuckle. Tony shrugged and finished off his last mouthful.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older fic I wrote years ago, around 2014, I think. I had it up on my Tumblr but have decided to move all of my fics from there to here.


End file.
